Archive for the 'Blake Griffin' Tag Under 'Clippers' Category

LAS VEGAS – Part of the reason Spencer Hawes signed a free-agent deal with the Clippers this summer was the chance to play with either Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan.

That versatility might be what Doc Rivers’ valued most.

But with the rest of the NBA looking at ways to downsize on the court and play versions of small ball, the Clippers could consider bucking the trends and using a jumbo lineup with Griffin, Jordan AND Hawes playing on the floor at the same time.

Hawes, the tallest of the trio at 7 foot 2, seemed to like the idea.

“That would be kind of fun,” Hawes said Tuesday. “That’d be a hell of a lineup.”

It was all on the table for Blake Griffin as he sat down for an interview for this month's GQ magazine.

While navigating that minefield, Griffin told a Donald Sterling that's full of awkwardness and hand-holding.

"The second time I met him... He throws a white party in Malibu every single year, so everyone has to wear white or you can't come. I get there, and this dude is wearing all black. The only person at this party. He throws a white party, he wears all black. And as soon as I get there, he comes to the front, we talk for a second, and he's like, "Come on, I want to introduce you to everyone." Grabs my hand and starts walking me through the party while we're holding hands, and just introduces me to everybody."

In an interview that's a rare look deep inside someone's psyche, Griffin also admits he didn't want to protest before Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors.

“I didn’t actually mean it,” Rivers said with a laugh. “…You have to be prepared for it, obviously. And obviously, you don’t want to drop the first game. But we did. Now, we have to do something about it.”

The Clippers began taking steps in that direction with a practice Sunday. While the Clippers need to figure out ways to contain Golden State’s passing and shooting between the lines, the team also has to address the clutter that caused them problems between their ears.

PHOENIX – The Clippers clinched the Pacific Division title Wednesday night. They’ll finish with more than 50 wins for the second time and could break the franchise record they set last season. They’re assured of a spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

Any one of those accomplishments would’ve seemed outrageous in late 2011 when the Clippers were wrapping up a 32-win season, but following Wednesday’s 112-108 win, the news of another division crown wasn’t celebrated with champagne or T-shirts.

If anything, it was met with sort of a yawn.

“It’s nice, but it doesn’t mean much,” Chris Paul said. “We won the division last year and lost in the first round.”

Since the start of the season, winning the Pacific Division was part of the Clippers’ plan – not the team’s stated purpose.

“It’s just so stupid. I rarely read stuff, and someone told me to read that. It didn’t say anything about us. It’s just stupid,” he said. “My whole issue with any of that crap, that network, to me, reports a story they created. Then, they do reports on it for the next two days, on a story, they created.”

Rivers insisted that Griffin’s name is “not out there” in trade talks.